Bumps Reports

Town bumps - Final night

Cantabrigian men were 7 lengths ahead of St Neots at the line after St Neots stormed to within ¼ length on Grassy Corner before falling back to give the Head crew a real scare and make them earn their title. This gave Cantabs men a hattrick at the top of the men

Behind Nines closed to within 3/4length of Robs when their rudder jammed as the crews entered Grassy Corner resulting in cox Lily Chan not only calling for an extra effort from bowside but also holding her hands in the water to try to help the boat round the corner and so go up the bank as they did on Tuesday and were bumped by X-Press. They got round safely but by that time the Robs were well ahead.

Cantabrigian women again rowed away from deposed head boat City and were 7 – 8 lengths clear at the line, their second boat chasing but unable to catch City all along the course.

As a result Cantabs ended up holding both the men’s and women’s Headships since Rob Roy in 2003.

Highest climbers of the week were Rob Roy’s second women’s boat who bumped on the first night climbed into sandwich boat position on the second night and then overbumped up with their second row of the night and continued to bump both of the last two nights to climb a total of 7 places, a feat rarely achieved.

There was chaos at the start when the guns failed to turn up in time, causing senior starter Roger Thorogood to age considerably as he attempted to start the division by other means only to be defeated by a combination of a strong wind and the noise from the A14.

In the end he got the division away, however the lower crews all started one after the other. Cantabs 14 Motley were immediately mown down by Cambridge Veterans, whom, with over 40 years’ experience per man and cox, were better prepared and so were out in the river, as were the crews behind them. The Veterans stopped dead, Cantabs 15 After Eights also got entangled and came to a halt allowing City 14 Cashflow to cash in by rowing past.

By then the guns had arrived and the officials decided that the bottom four should be treated to a restart after which all ended rowing over. However the restart was well over half an hour late meaning that the officials did a heroic job in catching up most of that by the time the first division went off.

Highest climbers of the week were Rob Roy’s second women’s boat who bumped on the first night climbed into sandwich boat position on the second night and then overbumped up with their second row of the night and continued to bump both of the last two nights to climb a total of 7 places, a feat rarely achieved.

Other crews to win their blades by going up every night were Nines 6 and 8, Cantabs 9, and City 12 in the men, in the women Cantabs 2, Isle of Ely, who also won the John Jenner trophy for the club with the best average score, Nines 5, and Cantabs 11 also went up every night.

Thursday 2017

Cantabs men rowed even further away from challengers St Neots in the third night and were 28 seconds ahead as the crews crossed the line. City 1 latched onto X-Press 1 in the Long Reach, they had looked like getting them on the first night until X-Press moved up when Nines were unable to get round Grassy Corner after their rudder jammed. Robs 3 pounced on Peterborough just before the line to gain revenge for the previous night. Cantabs Hills Road overlapped Chesterton from the Gut all the way round Grassy but failed to make contact and were bumped by Nines 2 at the Plough. All three Nines crews in the first division went up their first boat finally knocked out Robs 2 – the crew they nearly bumped on the first night and their third boat caught Cantabs 3 before 1st Post.

Cantabs again also rowed over comfortably at the top of women’s division 1, they were 3 lengths clear of the deposed head boat, City, at the line, twice the start distance. Spectators at the Plough saw St Neots closing on City 2 followed by Cantabs 3 within feet of Rob Roy, and Champs inching up on Nines 2 all three pursuing crews making contact on Ditton Corner, lower down Robs 2 robbed City 3 before 1st Post

As well as the two Head crews any crew that goes up every night also gets blades. In W2 just Cantabs 3 and Robs 2 will be looking for blades tonight. In M2 Chesterton 2 who have already gone up 4 places after making two bumps on the first night when they climbed into the division (they were erroneously reported as having done that on Wednesday). In W2 Isle of Ely and Cantabs Intermediates are looking for blades , in M3 Nines King Snakes and Train Appreciation crews , Cantabs Past Masters. In M4 City’s Chaotique and Nines 8 are the only crews looking for blades.

8 crews bumped in men’s division 3, almost the maximum number possible. At the top of the division City’s Dilithium Power bumped Hills Road 2 back in Plough Reach, Cantabs Poachers felled Champs Fellows crew on Grassy, City’s Raspberry Pi failed to escape Isle of Ely before 1st Post, Nines King Snakes stopped Champs Argonauts just beyond Bovis, Nines’ Train Appreciation Society railed in City Presidents at 1st Post, Cantabs Past Masters mowed down Radegunds Beer Boat. Beyond Bovis, Cantabs J15’s stopped Champs Sit the Boat at the outflow, and X-Press’s Geologists got Nines 7 before Bovis and after bumping into sandwich boat position at the top of men’s division 4 at the expense of Chesterton 3 on Grassy.

Other bumps in men 4 saw City Chaotique arrest X-Press ARM in 1st Post Reach, City cox Sara Rosso then climbed over her stroke to avoid Nines 8 who had just knocked out Cantabs InVerterEight just beyond Bovis Bridge and then crashed into City’s stern as it swung across the river. All the following crews managed to squeeze between the two crews, City’s unlucky for some made their mark on Cantabs Motley crew, behind them Cambridge Veterans vanquished Cantabs AfterEights on 1st Post Corner.

Bumps First Night 2017

Cantabs rowed over comfortably at the top of the men and had a grandstand view as St Neots moved into the challengers position at the expense of Rob Roy – indeed it looked as if the Robs second boat was also going down when Nines closed to within inches only to have their rudder jam and end up on the bank enabling X-Press to row past and claim the bump.

Lower down Hills Road made contact with Cantabs 3 and so end up with a fine for bumping a higher boat.

As expected Cantabs ended City's 9 year reign at the top of the women when they caught them on Ditton Corner, indeed all the Cantabs crews in the first division went up, 2 knocked out Nines 1, 3 caught Chesterton and 4 moved up into the division to be the highest risers of the night when they halted Radegund after their overbump in the previous division

In men's division 2 City 5 pounced on Peterborough 2 at the Plough, St Neots 2 connected with Champs 2, Nines 4 brought down City's Billygoats. Chesterton 2 who had already halted Hills Road 2 to move into sandwich boat position forced City 8 down a division before Bovis.

At the top of men's division 3, Hills Road 2 crashed in the Gut, Chesterton 2 rowed past to claim the bump. City got fined after 11 marched on 10 their Presidents

Hills Road women's first boat dug into X-Press 3 in Plough Reach

In men's division 4 Nines 8 ate Cantabs 15 in 15 strokes, X-Press 6 filed X-Press 5 in the Gut as were fined as did Cantabs 13 hunted down Cantabs 12 just before the crowds at the Plough

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Richard Moseley

Bumps 2017 Wednesday Night

In the men as Cantabs rowed away from new challengers St Neots and were 5 lengths clear at the line. Behind Robs 1 and 2 rowed over and X-Press were unable to escape Nines 1 on Ditton whilst Nines 2 felled Cantabs 3 at 1st Post. Hills Road overlapped Chesterton but failed to make contact. At the bottom City Hammerheads claimed victory over their Housewife’s Choice crew at the finish but the bump was disputed and then awarded when a marshal saw contact.

At the top of the women new head crew, Cantabs comfortably rowed over ,their victims of the first night City also made the finish but will be chased by Cantabs 2 who stopped X-Press coming out of Grassy, their 3rd boat vanquished Cambridge Veterans going into Grassy, Cantabs 4 caught City Caterpillars and then were passed by Robs 2 who overbumped 99 Herons in the Reach. City 3 were unable to escape Champs Emeralds on Grassy.

Robs 2 took the sandwich boat position in women’s div 2 by robbing Radegund at 1s Post, Isle of Ely’s Ladies Wot Row latched onto City 6 in the Gut, whilst in men 2 X-Press 2 overtook Peterborough causing the officials to examine the rule book to decide if it was a bump. Behind them X-Press M3 robbed Robs 4 in less than 20 strokes.

In men’s division 3 Hills 2 climbed back into sandwich boat position by catching Chesterton 2 approaching the Gut, Poachers pounced on Raspberry Pi beyond 1st Post, Nines King Snakes stopped City Presidents beyond Bovis; Cantabs Past Masters sat on Sit the Boat before the Plough, and Cantabs under 15’s showed no respect for Champs Elders before Bovis.

In women’s contacted division 3 City’s juniors moved into sandwich boat at the expense of Champs Diamonds and then moved into division 2 when they caught Chesterton before Bovis. 99 Juniors jumped on Chesterton 3, Cantabs Flotsam & Jetsam fell on X-Press Geologists in the Gut, Cantabs under 16’s halted Hills Road 2 before 1st Post and Nines 7 were rewarded by catching their Casual Women at the bottom of Long Reach, both bumps earning their clubs fine for a lower boat proving to be faster than a higher boat.

In men’s division 4 City Mills & Reeve were prosecuted by their Geologists; Cantabs 13 hunted down X-Press 7 before 1st Post, and watched as behind Chaotique made contact with Inveterates; 99 8 mowed down Motley; and After Eights were unlucky in front of City 13 at Bovis.